I can’t even begin to express how lucky I am to have spent my childhood in Southwestern Ontario. I got to play in four vividly distinct seasons. In the winter, my mom would bundle me up tightly in layer after layer before letting me run outside to build snow forts with my friends. I remember pausing before crawling in to my newly made fort for the first time, just to admire it from behind my frosty breath lingering in the crisp winter air. When our fort would start to melt come springtime, my friends and I would opt to practice our whistling along with the cheerful chirping of red robins. When it would finally warm up enough in the summer, we would race each other from the cottage to the water at Lake Huron. I enjoyed every single drop of the waves lapping up my legs. In autumn, nothing thrilled me more than seeing the foliage change from green to rich reds, deep yellows and fiery oranges. My classmates and I couldn’t wait to be let out for recess, where we would quickly collect all the maple leaves in the schoolyard to build great big piles only to leap into them.
I was always so amazed at how nature could change so swiftly from season to season. Having access to nature is something I treasure to this day. It’s an important part of the charm of West 5. The vision of this unique community is about honouring nature by enjoying it to the fullest.
I can’t wait to see the residents of West 5 cycling in the summer and competing in snowman building contests in the winter. No matter the season, I want the next generation of kids to revel with every breath of the great outdoors they take at West 5.
Richard
